Austin, TX vs Detroit, MI

Detroit, MI spends 43% more per resident than Austin, TX: $31,087 against $21,772. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Austin, TX edges Detroit, MI on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 75/100 (grade B) to 69/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

On debt, Detroit, MI carries the lighter load at $776 per resident versus $1,229 for Austin, TX. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Austin, TX leads with parks and recreation at $1,801 per resident, while Detroit, MI leads with fire protection at $2,429.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Austin, TX at 18% of total revenue, whereas Detroit, MI relies most on other revenue at 15%.